Live Pics from the 2012 Geneva Motor Show

One of the auto industrys biggest showcases is happening this week in Switzerland. Here are live shots from the floor of the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show.

One of the auto industry's biggest showcases is happening this week in Switzerland. Here are live shots from the floor of the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show.

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

An all-new A-Class debuts in Europe this year with three- and five-door body styles, loads of engine options in petrol and diesel, and sport models. Mercedes is aiming at the premium youth market, and the fresh styling is what you should expect to see on future vehicles from Benz. Unofficial rumors say the the A-Class will debut in the U.S. in AMG guise sometime in 2013.

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

The A-Class is the first execution of built-in Siri compatibility, allowing voice control of many vehicle and infotainment controls through iPhone voice command. This AMG version of the A-Class features a carbon fiber-like dash finish.

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Delphi F1for3

Delphi showed off an interesting concept dubbed the F1for3. The three-passenger sports car styled by Sbarro borrows heavily from Formula 1 race cars. But with a one-up-front, two-in-the-back layout, it triples passenger count.

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Delphi F1for3

From a technical standpoint, the F1for3 uses two featured Delphi modules, a fully integrated touch screen center stack and an all-in-one communications antenna system. Expect to see these features slip into more traditional production vehicles well before anything like the F1for3 hits the road.

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RUF RGT 8

Porsche tuners RUF came to Geneva with an array of new customized 911s. This RGT 8 ditches the traditional flat-six in favor of a smoking 550-hp V-8. How they made it fit is anyone's guess.

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RUF IT-35

This 35th anniversary edition hearkens back to the original RUF cars. A simple monochrome green paint scheme and duck tail spoiler compliment the mechanical upgrades. The fact that 650 hp out of the turbocharged engine should be plenty to celebrate the occasion.

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Rinspeed Dock+Go

Rinspeed is known for reliably bringing wacky new concepts to the Geneva Motor Show. This heavily modified Smart ForTwo lives up to the reputation. The Dock+Go concept has an detachable cargo and multi-use bed and a third set of wheels to improve the functionality of the ForTwo.

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Rinspeed Dock+Go

Part of the charm of the Dock+Go is keeping a couple of these El Camino-style beds around for different uses. Each can be fitted for specific tasks. The one seen here, for example, is for high-powered mobile sound. But why not one for fishing and camping?

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Mansory Lamborghini Aventador

Mansory is a high-end tuner, and they brought along some high-end cars. This Lamborghini Aventador is wearing a carbon fiber body kit, fresh wheels, and the most eye-searing red paint job you'll ever see. Photos don't do it justice.

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Mansory McLaren MP4-12C

If your tired of that boring old McLaren MP4-12C sitting in your garage, Mansory will be happy to spice it up a bit. This one's sporting a wide body kit, carbon fiber splitter, and side sills, and they've replaced the active rear spoiler with a fixed carbon fiber wing. Subtle.

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Brabus Electric Drive Smart ForTwo

The Smart ForTwo is getting a slight styling tweak this year, but not enough to prevent the car form feeling dated. To spice things up a bit, an official Brabus version of the ForTwo Electric Drive promises "green emissions, dark soul." Along for the ride are custom body work, interior upgrades, and a slight bump in output, up from 73 hp to 80 hp with 100 lb-ft of torque.

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Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG

Mercedes-Benz wasn't content to leave the brand-spankin' new all-aluminum SL alone, so here's the upgrade: the AMG SL63. The potent 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood snorts out 518 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. Spinning a 7-speed automatic transmission, this grand touring beast goes from 0-60 mph in a more than adequate 4.5 seconds. Styling upgrades are limited to the front fascia, available wheels, and small rear spoiler.

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SLS AMG E-Cell Powertrain

This isn't particularly new, but the disembodied battery, powertrain, and suspension of the SLS AMG E-Cell is just the kind of mechanical eye candy we love to see on any auto show stand. The huge battery pack and powerful motor deliver 526 hp and 649 lb-ft, with a 155 mph top speed. The cantilevered rear suspension sets our hearts aflutter.

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MINI Cargo

Because the world didn't have enough variations on the Mini, the brand is reviving the old Van formula from the Austin days with the MINI Cargo. A Clubman with the windows knocked out and replaced with steel panels, the Cargo is aimed at the compact delivery market, especially at those with a taste for cuteness.

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Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Here's a Jaguar XF with a 2.2-liter, 187-hp four-cylinder turbodiesel and a wagon back. It's called the XF Sportbrake, and you aren't getting it in the US—those lucky Europeans are getting another great wagon we won't. This one is styled to take advantage of the XF's sweeping lines while delivering a improved cargo capacity and rear seat head room. Yes, we are jealous as a matter of fact.

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Edag Light Car Sharing

It wouldn't be Geneva without wacky concept cars. The Edag Light Car Sharing concepts imagines a fleet Zipcar-like rentable electric vehicles peppering the landscape, communicating their state of charge and reservation status by way of light panels. The concept isn't bad, the styling, on the other hand, is a bit... unique.

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Italdesign Giugiaro Brivido

Mix equal parts grand tourer, sports sedan, Italian styling, and gull-wing doors and you get the Italdesign Giugiaro Brivido. The hybrid makes a combined 408 hp, and with an 8-speed ZF transmission, sprints to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. A big luxury GT concept like this comes with all the bells and whistles—acres of leather, touch screens galore, and an interesting means of iPad integration. Here, it slides into a slot in the dash and you control it through the console.

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Italdesign Giugaro Volkswagen Up

Italdesign Giugaro also showed this heavily modified VW Up. More of an interior concept than anything, it's certainly a successful one. It takes a nautical theme to an extreme with inlaid wood, chrome hardware, and open sides. Kind of makes those Bugattis just down the way look like new money posers.

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Italdesign Giugaro Volkswagen Up

It's perfect for quick jaunts around your island, yet small enough to store on your yacht.

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VW Cross Coupe

VW took the Cross Coupe (which remains not a coupe) and made it a hybrid—and a sort of interesting one at that. Let's call it a complicated light extended range electric; imagine a Chevy Volt with a shorter range. Three motive forces combine here: a 190-hp turbodiesel, a 53-hp electric motor at the front, and a 114-hp electric motor at the rear.

This car can operate in full electric for 28 miles and mixed hybrid modes with varying output and efficiency. At the high end it'll turn out a claimed 157 mpg in the European economy cycle. We expect to see something very similar hit production in the not-too-distant future.

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Lamborghini Aventador J

There's really no question who the belle of this Geneva ball is. It's the Lamborghini Aventador J.

It turns out that chopping the roof and windscreen off an Aventador makes it even more amazing, in a jet fighter kind of way. Just one—this one—will be made, and sold to an unidentified buyer at an undisclosed price.

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Lamborghini Aventador J

This is the kind of thing that puts Lambo posters on little boy's bedroom walls. Aggressive aero changes to the front splitter and small styling tweaks to the nose are matched with small wind deflectors in this speedster. It's also the first time we're seeing forged carbon fiber in a road-going car (it makes up the seat frames). Goggles, and drool bibs, are recommended.

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Lamborghini Aventador J

The J is the answer to a question nobody asked, but only because nobody was crazy enough to think to ask for it.

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Valmet Dawn Concept

This is certainly not a roadworthy vehicle, what with the slim cockpit and zero road clearance, but it is an interesting concept. The Dawn Concept from Valmet Automotive, a large French component supplier, can suck down electricity through a variety of means: the standard SAE plug found on cars today, 120-V outlet, or an induction system which would allow for wireless charging. This technology is already in the experimental phases and may mean more convenient recharges for plug-in battery vehicle owners in the future.

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Valmet Dawn Concept

The extremely low Dawn concept has barely enough room for driver, battery, power electronics, and motor. Leaving the motor exposed, however, was certainly done for show.

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Bentley EXP 9 F Concept

The Bentley EXP 9 F Concept is basically a concept in name only. Save for a few details, this expensive tarmac yacht will go on sale eventually. The business case makes plenty of sense, and we're sure they'll sell by the boatload, but holy cow is this thing ugly. We're choosing to show you the profile because the front end would scare you right off the website.

Power comes from a 6-liter, twin-turbocharged V-12 engine with an 8-speed transmission, a 4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, or a hybrid system. None of which may be able to outrun the ugly.

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Bentley EXP 9 F Concept

It wouldn't be a Bentley Concept without a set of silver for those spur-of-the-moment picnics on the French Riviera.

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Porsche Boxster

The entry-level mid-engine sports car from Stuttgart is all new this year. The 2013 Porsche Boxster remains true to form and styling, but adopts a cleaner, more grown-up look.

The car gets two engines to start: a 2.7-liter flat-6 with 265 hp (a 10-hp bump), and the Boxter S's 3.4-liter flat-6 making 315 hp ( an increase of 5). Naturally fuel economy is up, acceleration is improved, and Porschephiles are happy.

The car's sporting look doesn't quite match its frugal powertrain, though, as it packs a 1.0-liter three-cylinder hybrid arranged as an EREV system with about 75 miles of all-electric range. Interior design is aggressive in its use of curves and surface texture. Expect to see some of the less peculiar styling elements of the i-oniq make their way into future Hyundais.

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Hyundai i30

It's called the i30 in Europe, but in the U.S., you'll get to know it as the Hyundai Elantra Touring. It's got all the same great stuff that makes the Elantra a hot seller in the States, along with a bigger boot for toting your junk around. It looks pretty sharp, too.

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